


Poison and Wine

by harrietspecter



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, filler fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-11-29 05:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/683371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrietspecter/pseuds/harrietspecter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She asked him out for drinks because it's been a long time since they've talked. Louis/Donna brotp. Harvey/Donna otp talks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Louis and Donna

The tap on the door surprised him. The woman standing at the threshold surprised him even more. She looked ready to leave: a black coat around her frame, tailored perfectly to accentuate her figure. In a sense, she was ready to go home. A fact that shouldn't surprise him at the late hour. But he was surprised at her presence. She rarely came to him before she left.

"Donna, what can I do for you?" Louis asked.

"You doing anything important?" she wondered as she looked over at his desk.

"Nothing pressing. Just some paperwork for Folsom Foods," he told her.

"You...umm. You want to grab a drink?" she asked.

His smile lit up his face and he tried to keep his cool. They were still working on the whole friendship thing again. The other night proved she and Harvey had started to put things behind them.

"Is Harvey coming?" Louis wondered.

"No. Just us. That's okay, right?" Donna asked.

"Sure," he nodded. "I'd be down with that."

"No," Donna shook her head.

"Too eager?" Louis asked.

Donna's fingers came up and pinched a bit and he nodded. She watched as Louis gathered his paperwork and pushed it into a random file.

"You have anywhere in mind?" he asked as he powered down his laptop for the night. He wasn't coming back by the look on her face.

"Called in a favour," Donna said. "Top floor of that steakhouse you like. Window seat in the bar."

"You asking me for a favour?" he asked as he shrugged on his coat.

"We haven't been there in a while," she said as she shook her head. She watched him gather his briefcase. He wasn't as refined as Harvey but he did carry his own air of class and status. Less sure of himself, Donna noted. Harvey was cocky and confident where Louis was subdued and confident.

"We'll have to walk since I didn't drive today," she added.

He looked down at her heels and back to her face.

"I can handle it," she answered his silent question.

"Just making sure," Louis said.

She moved out of the doorway as he shut off the light and hit the magnetic lock for the door. She smiled as he pat his pockets before following her out the door.

They took the long way around for the elevators. She wasn't ashamed of asking Louis for drinks but she'd rather not be the gossip of the night for the associates. They passed by her darkened cubicle and Harvey's blackened office.

"Harvey left already?" Louis asked as he looked over his shoulder. When he assumed Harvey wasn't coming he was sure he'd still be working on getting Hardman out of their hair again.

"10:30," she nodded. It was fast approaching midnight. "Don't ask. It's better if you don't know so you can have deniability."

He nodded silently. He could understand. He just wasn't sure why Donna was still here an hour and a half later than Harvey. He was sure they'd get to why eventually. For now, he was just happy they were actually talking to one another.

~z~

He expected nothing less than a graceful entrance and quick seating when it came to dining out with Donna. Everyone in the firm knew if you wanted tables at the most exclusive restaurants in the city at a moment's notice, one went to Donna. Even Jessica Pearson had used Donna's network more than once. He had only used that power once when his mother and father came into the city. He wanted to have them impressed and asked Donna for her opinion. She had told him she and Harvey had taken Gordon and her parents to a new restaurant downtown. When she told him that everyone liked it, Louis and his parents dined at it that weekend. He wondered if she was some kind of food critic or something. How else would she get all this exclusive access at a moment's notice? Two martinis were ordered for the pair as soon as they were seated: Donna's a vodka with a lemon twist, Louis's a vodka with a stuffed olive.

He watched her as she drank and picked at the bar nuts he had demanded better be fresh or else. She was beautiful, out of his league,and he knew he never had a chance even without Harvey in the picture. She had an air of sadness about her figure lately. He wondered if it was only the select few who knew her well or if an average person could detect her eyes weren't as dark and playful as they usually were. They didn't dance with a hint of happiness and calculation. They weren't dull or lifeless; they were just less Donna than he had been used to for the last ten years.

Unlike the times he, Harvey, and Donna went out for a drink or dinner, men tried to approach them and buy her a drink. They never approached with Harvey. She never needed a knight in shining armour to rescue her from him because Harvey is a king and he is merely the court jester. She turned them down, each and every one of them, who approached her. A simple brush of her hand against Louis's arm stopped them from asking anything more. He knew it was simply born out of friendship, she meant nothing more, but the men obviously thought differently and left them alone after a half an hour. He stopped his musings when he felt her looking at him.

"Good musings?" she asked half amused and curious.

"The usual," he shrugged.

"And?" Donna prompted.

"The princess needing rescuing from the court jester," he said as he waved a hand around the bar area.

"Don't belittle yourself, Louis. You're at least a knight," Donna smiled softly.

"Really?" Louis perked up.

"You've saved Harvey a few times," Donna nodded. "Despite antagonising each other the entire time."

"Boys will be boys," he shrugged.

"Exactly," Donna nodded. She looked at him pointedly and added a quiet detail. "And you've helped me a few times, too."

Louis swallowed heavily. He hadn't thought about that in years. What no one really knew was Donna and Louis were actually close. Perhaps good friends. And neither used the term lightly. He went to her more than she did to him. Perhaps it was because a powerful woman like her needed her secrets close. Secrets could destroy a woman like Donna. There were only four people who knew her biggest one. The world speculated, made innuendos, implied everything but none of the four wielding the secret betrayed the one woman it would hurt most.

He had gone to Harvey's office that night, expecting to see the man and he could ask him a question about a case. What he found was Donna sitting in Harvey's chair, the desk lamp dimmed, a record in her hand, and a tumbler of scotch near her elbow. She had slipped that night, choosing Harvey over her current-now former-boyfriend. When he had asked her why, figuring she'd tell him to go away, his heart broke a little for the fiery redhead. The catch in her voice, the way the words came out felt more like a death sentence than a declaration of feelings. When she realised what she had just confirmed she startled and turned towards him. He had his hand up and promised not to say a word. He broke the vow two years later when he used it in a mock trial run against Harvey. To this day he still hated what Daniel Hardman made him become that time. The senior partnership wasn't worth hurting this beautiful woman in front of him whose only crime was being deeply and tragically in love with a man who returned the feelings but neither knew what to do with them.

"Maybe I should have cut you off after that last martini," Donna's voice broke through the haze.

Louis shook himself out of her own thoughts to see her smiling amusedly at him as she popped almonds into her mouth.

"Nah, I can handle it," Louis said. "The question is, why are we still out at 12:30 in the morning."

A perfectly polished finger ran down the stem of her second glass, circling the base as it sat on the coaster. He watched her hands as she watched the city. He was content to let her sit, knowing the information would come out sooner or later. After all, she had asked him to drinks and not the other way around. If it had been, he would have already talked her ear off. Donna liked to approach the subject slowly. She never spoke without thinking, at least when it came to professional matters and the few personal things she had let him know about over the last decade.

"I have a bad feeling about all of this," she said as she looked at the skyline. It was only a few blocks away but even from this far away she could recognise Pearson Hardman.

"Like we're going to lose?" Louis asked.

"Not necessarily. More like that feeling I get every time Scottie shows up," she said. "Like everything Harvey and I have been working at is going to hit the fan."

"You think Hardman is up to something?" Louis asked.

Donna turned away from the window view and faced Louis.

"I know that asshole is up to something," Donna said. "Jessica has a depo tomorrow and he'll try and make her talk. We can't afford her talking. You know he's going to try and anger her."

"Harvey will stop her," Louis nodded.

"You're so confident," Donna noted.

"Aren't you?" Louis asked.

He looked at her closely in the dim light. The shadows and light played on her face. The darkness hid the fatigue and light caught the less than positive outcome that was oozing from her frame. Hardman had broken her. He wanted the smug asshole gone and done with. He wanted the Donna he has known for ten years. He wants the Donna that lurks in the corners when she plays practical jokes; the Donna who breaks hearts without even realising it because she doesn't understand she's the full package. She's brains, beauty, and braun. He doesn't like this shadow of a woman he barely sees at her guard post as of late.

"I want to kill that smug asshole," Louis told her quietly.

"I'd settle for slapping him at this point," Donna said. "Wiping that smug grin off his face."

"I keep telling you revenge is the best form of revenge," Louis said. He noticed the fire when she announced her true desire. "He deserves a slap or two."

"You deserve some revenge against him, too," Donna told him. "Actually killing him may be a slight problem. But threatening him would be okay. I mean you are a hardened criminal now. Your stint at lock up, you're a changed man."

Louis actually gave a giggle at her statement. It countered the hardened criminal description she had just given him so she shook her head as she attempted to hide her own smile.

"I'm sorry," Louis said suddenly. "I know I can never take it back."

"We've moved past it, Louis. You should too. We can't look back, just keep moving to this new hurdle," Donna told him.

"Why were you there an hour and a half after Harvey left?" Louis asked as he changed subjects.

"He still has clients that have needs. With him taking on Hardman and Mike working his Folsom Foods accounts, someone needs to take care of the rest," Donna told him.

"And the clients don't mind you taking their accounts?" Louis wondered.

"Who do you think was Harvey's associate and paralegal before he got Mike? He never used Rachel or the other paralegals nor any associate. It's always been me and Harvey against the bad guys," Donna noted. "His clients get worried when Harvey does call and check up on them. He personally called all his clients last week and I got calls from all of them as soon as he was done wondering if Harvey was dying or something."

Louis gave a small laugh.

She smiled at Louis's response.

"What would he do without you?" Louis asked hypothetically. He didn't mean to bring up the time she was fired. But at least Harvey had realised he needed her.

"He needs me," Donna told him. Her smile had dropped from her face slightly and she looked down at her martini rather than Louis.

"How'd he get you back anyway?" Louis asked.

"He told me that," Donna said as she sipped at her martini.

"What?" Louis wondered. Perhaps he had missed it.

"He told me that he needed me and he let me fire Cameron," Donna told him with a small smile.

The two let the conversation pause in an effort to gather a sense of balance. Donna had opened the line of questioning and was responding so far. Louis appreciated being in the circle again but didn't want to push. Especially with such a vast subject regarding Donna and Harvey's relationship with one another.

The waiter took the opportunity to ask if they wanted anything. Donna ordered a cracker and cheese platter, Louis ordered the famous sliders. Small enough meals to share between the two and perfect enough to curb the alcohol consumption if they were going to continue this line of questioning.

"Can I ask you a question?" Louis asked.

"You may. I'll even let you answer another," she said with a small smirk.

"Funny," he noted. "Did you. Uh. How do you. Have you ever been in love?"

He watched the little lines appear in between her brows, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.

"I think you know the answer to that question," Donna said as she licked her lips.

"You still love him," Louis deduced.

She took a greedy sip of her martini and the vodka slid down easily, only a slight burn as it hit her stomach. She needed some food soon. Hopefully their order would be out soon.

"I've been there since the beginning, Donna. I know," Louis said. "I've had a crush on you for almost ten years but I know you've only ever loved one man."

Donna opened her mouth but he held up a finger.

"I'm the outside world. They ask you to choose between them and Harvey. You've always chosen Harvey because deep down you know he loves you too. He just can't see past getting to that last hurdle of his name on the door," Louis concluded.

"I wasn't made for the normal life, the simple love they offered," she said as she referred back to her disasters of boyfriends. "I can't help it. It's difficult, demanding, sometimes completely one-sided. But it's also this extraordinary feeling I've never had with anyone else."

"Have you…" Louis trailed off.

The way her eyes darted to her empty glass and the way she bit her lip answered the question for him. She didn't need to say anything else.

"What am I going to do, Louis?" she asked.

Louis called the bartender over and pointed at their drinks.

"You're going to drink and eat with me tonight. Tomorrow we exact our revenge on Hardman and get our revenge on that son of a bitch. Then you see if the bad juju goes away," Louis said.

"And if it doesn't?" she wondered.

"Then you slap Hardman, and fix it so you don't have anymore bad feelings," Louis told her. "And if that Scottie woman shows up you defend what's yours."

Her breathy laugh tugged at the heart strings. She revealed her secrets to him tonight. He wasn't sure why but he wasn't going to abuse the privilege. She knew he wouldn't judge her. Ten years of friendship was starting to mend. He wasn't going to lose her trust again. He didn't want to deal with no Donna Paulsen in his life anymore. It was a lonely existence without her making a mockery of him. It was how she and Harvey shared their affection. He craved their attention as much as their little puppy did.

"Thank you," she smiled softly and sincerely at him.

"Anything for you," he said honestly.

* * *

"We should probably go," Donna noted once their third round was drunk and their food was eaten.

"Of course," Louis said with a nod.

Before she could get to her purse he already had a crisp hundred dollar bill on the table. She smiled her thanks as he handed her coat to her from the coat rack behind him.

As soon as they stepped outside, her arm was wrapped around his. He wished she wasn't so damn tall or he wasn't so damn short. But she didn't seem to mind as they let the city wash over them.

"This was nice," she said quietly as they made their way towards the general direction of Pearson Hardman.

"I'm sorry for what I did," he said suddenly and again.

"Shh, Louis. It's in the past. Let us not speak of it again," she reminded him again.

"That feeling go away yet?" he asked her.

"Something's coming," she told him. "And it doesn't look good."

Louis wanted to reassure her but her gut never failed her in the ten years he had known her. He could give her all the platitudes but both would know they were false. They didn't deal in false hope. They dealt in facts, numbers, and truths from lies. And Louis never wanted to lie to Donna. So, he stayed quiet and reassured himself with the tapping of her heels on the concrete as they walked the few blocks to their place of employment.

As they stopped in front of Pearson Hardman Donna started to smile. A black Lexus pulled up seemingly out of nowhere and Donna unwound her arm from his.

"This is my ride," she told him.

His brow furrowed as the driver got out of the car and rounded to the side closest to the sidewalk. He simply stood there with a brief nod at Donna.

"Since when can executive assistants get personal drivers?" Louis asked.

Donna only gave him a smirk, pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, and began walking to the car.

Louis watched as the man in the dark suit opened the door. As Donna turned to seat herself he got a glimpse of who was already on the other side of the back seat. Harvey was looking over at him as he held a hand out for Donna to take as she adjusted to the height difference from the sidewalk to the backseat. Louis noticed the lingering hands but was forced to end his staring as the driver shut the door. The dark night and the darker tint on the windows left him blind to anymore interaction. Instead he watched the man in the suit round the front of the car.

Briefly, Louis wondered how Harvey knew where Donna was; wondered how he knew the exact moment Donna would appear. He made a mental note to explore these two more. One day Donna would get her happy ending. She'd have that love she deserved to have. If he could help in any way, he would do it. Because Donna deserved the world. And he'd be one of the knights to get the princess her true love and her happily ever after.


	2. Donna and Harvey

There was a time Donna felt like she never needed to hear someone say she was beautiful. She had told Ray she didn't like limitations placed on her beauty. She didn't want to be known as the beautiful secretary of the city's best closer. She wanted to be her own person who was a myriad of adjectives; she didn't want limitations placed on her person. If beauty was to be her centre, everything else ceased to have meaning. She shouldn't feel like Harvey just ripped her heart out of her chest and held it delicately between his calloused fingers. It shouldn't feel like he was about to squeeze until the fragile organ ceased to be, turn to dust and blown away with the wind. She heard Jessica's voice and the surprise deflated instantly. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked up and found Jessica behind her. He wasn't directing it at her. For a brief moment she allowed her heart to hope and he crushed it a moment later.

She didn't know whether or not he caught the look. He seemed to be focused on Jessica and her choice of wardrobe. She looked at Jessica, choosing to be turned towards her over Harvey, and let the woman's words wash over her. She heard bits and pieces but for the most part her mind was going over her conversation with Harvey moments before. As her eyes connected with Jessica, she and Harvey had concluded their conversation, the older woman gave her a knowing smirk. For her part, Donna's lips upturned quickly. For all the woman had done to push them together over the years, she really did have the most awful timing.

After the elevator doors closed and Jessica dropped out of sight, Donna waited a few minutes until she was sure the elevator with the woman wouldn't come back up.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "Don't you want to help?"

She looked over at him, noting the expression on his face was a mix of sheer joy and utter disappointment at the same time.

"Are you going to pry those off with your hands? I know Louis thinks your Superman but Clark Kent does have a weakness and a flaw or two," Donna pointed out after swallowing the lump in her throat.

When Harvey frowned she pressed the elevator again, willing it to hurry up.

"I'm going to go get you some tools for you to remove it," she said slowly. "Since I'm not sure you even know where the mechanics closet is."

"And you do?" he countered.

"I know everything and everyone in this building. Of course I know where they keep the supplies," Donna told him.

The elevator finally dinged and the doors opened revealing an empty car. She slid into it and pressed 10. She'd have to go to the lobby and use the other elevators that took her to 3. She leaned back against the rail, willing him to stay put and watched as the elevator doors slid to an almost closed position, thwarted by his hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" she said as he pushed the elevator door open and slid in beside her.

"Going with you," he said.

"Why?" she asked. She leaned forward and pressed 10 again.

"You look sad," he informed her. He had gone because of her look. But he mostly went because she never said we. She always said we.  _We_  get a bigger office.  _We_  need to go shopping.  _We_  need to hurry up this damn case because I need a margarita and dinner. We. Even when she meant you, she always said we. They were a team: Harvey and Donna. Instead she used  _you_.

"I'm not sad," she said quickly.

"Despondent? Dejected? Hurt?" Harvey tried. "I could pull up a thesaurus on my phone if we want to play. I know you're a word freak so you already have a head start but technology is my friend."

She licked her lips and looked down at the floor.

"You're stuck with me for a lot of floors," Harvey said. "I could pull the emergency stop."

"No," she said quickly as her head shot up to look at his face.

"Tell me," he said quietly.

She looked at him with an indistinguishable look.

"Okay, I'll solve it," he nodded.

She gave him a skeptical look but said nothing to counter his suggestion. He look it as a green light.

"It's about this week," he began.

Her brow crinkled and he gave a hint of a smile. Point one to him.

"Daniel?" he asked.

Her face was impassive. Point to Donna.

"Louis?" he continued.

No flicker of response. Point to Donna.

"Jessica?" he tried.

Her mouth curled slightly but her face remained impassive.

"It's about her but not completely," he concluded. Two points to him.

"Me?" he asked finally.

Her dark eyes widened slightly but enough for him to notice. Her mouth dropped slightly but not enough to be significant enough to show. The hand that held her bag turned pale at her knuckles as she clenched down. A line appeared on her forehead as her brows furrowed. The corner of her lips frowned slightly more than they did with Jessica's name.

He didn't know if he wanted to play this point game anymore.

"It's me," he said quietly. Mostly to himself in disbelief. He didn't hear her try to dissuade him.

They rode the rest of the way to the lobby, the 10th floor, in silence. Donna turned to face the elevator doors, Harvey watching her. As soon as the door dinged and the elevator opened she walked sedately out. He followed along, almost getting hit by the door as it closed.

"Two encounters?" she said as she took his wrist in her hand. Never his hand. Not after last time. "Come on."

She walked with him following a half step behind her as they made their way to the lower level bank of elevators. Since there were seldom used, the car was already waiting for them in a bay.

"Did you really need to start this in the elevator?" she asked.

"You're the one that was answering without an answer," Harvey said.

"Jesus Christ, Harvey. I told you not to watch that show. You're reading too much into it," Donna said.

"I read people before I even watched  _Lie to Me_ ," he said. "And tell me I'm wrong."

"And you'll stop pouting?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded.

She opened her mouth to lie to him but found words escaped her. She couldn't do it.

"It's me," he said quietly.

"It's not just you, Harvey," Donna tried.

"You already said you had a bad feeling about this week. It's come true so far. What else do you know. Donna, you can tell me anything," Harvey said.

She looked up at him. It was the tone he used last time she said she wasn't in love with him on the street of her building. But this time there was no hint of amusement. He was being sincere and serious. It was a change to savour, if only for a brief moment.

"Not everything," she shook her head.

The elevator signalled their arrival at the floor of Donna's choice and she stepped out. She didn't care whether he followed her now. Luckily for her it was a quiet walk down a narrow hallway towards the only door on the right side.

"Gary," she said as she opened the door. A smile was on her face and only the man who stood behind her knew it was strictly for show.

"Ms. Paulsen what are you doing here?" the head custodian asked with a slight hint of worry in his voice.

"I need some pliers or a screw driver or whatever will take down the Hardman signs all over the building," Donna said as she leaned against the counter.

"You doing the 50th floor?" Gary asked.

"And I have a work order from the boss herself to have your guys take down the rest," Donna said. She opened her bag and pulled out a trifold letter, sliding it through the window opening to the man behind the counter.

Harvey came up behind her and leaned over her shoulder, waiting for the man to open the letter. It was indeed authentic: the Pearson Hardman letterhead and Jessica's signature down below. It issued the order of any sign of Hardman should be taken down.

Gary looked up and nodded.

"Good evening Mr Specter," he said as he noticed Donna's companion.

Harvey nodded to the man.

"I'll be right back with the right tools," Gary said as he folded the letter and put it aside for going to get a bag of tools for them to use.

"How come that man knows my name?" Harvey wondered as Gary made his way into a room off of where they stood.

"They know all the partners. They clean your offices. Well, not yours since we do that," Donna said. It was mostly him cleaning with her perched in his chair observing him. He refused to let her help, it was his mess. She already cleaned up enough messes in his life, he didn't want her to be his own maid. It was sort of sweet sometimes the way he justified his thinking.

"Where'd you get that work order?" Harvey asked. He was still behind her. She could feel his presence in her space.

"Jessica gave it to me the day we ousted Daniel again," Donna said as she turned to face him. She shouldn't have done that because he took it as invitation to move closer.

"You two have been hiding more and more things from me," he said as he looked at her. "You more than her. Why didn't you tell me you went out with Louis the other night?"

"We don't have to tell you everything, Harvey," Donna pointed out. "Louis and I are friends. You know that."

"A woman and her secrets," Harvey concluded.

"Sometimes he's easier to talk to than you," Donna countered.

Harvey leaned in impossibly close, an inch either way and they'd be in a situation neither wanted to have present itself. At least not here in the building, surrounded by gossips, cameras, and the man Harvey couldn't even remember who was getting them tools.

Donna gave him a hint of a smile and Gary cleared his throat beside them. Harvey and Donna both turned to look at where the man was but neither backed down completely from their stance. Harvey slid his upper body away but the rest of him still brushed against Donna as she turned to face the other man in the room.

"Here's the tools. You know how to use them?" he asked. As if it was perfectly normal to walk into a situation he had just interrupted.

"I watch enough HGTV and DIY network to figure it out," Donna nodded.

She placed her Hermès bag in Harvey's hands and moved to get the bag of tools from Gary.

"Thanks, Gary," Donna said as she adjusted to the tools in her hand. "Come on."

Harvey nodded and held her bag tighter. He noticed it was the one he bought her after his trip to France.

"I could have carried those," he said as they exited.

"And get your suit dirty? I'm fine, Harvey," Donna said. "Just don't scratch the bag or you're buying me another and an additional Marni bag to make up for it."

Gary shook his head as he heard the conversation. He now understood why everyone had a pool going on about those two. He was certain the redhead had an inkling about it but he was more certain the hot shot lawyer had no idea what was going on under his nose.

* * *

She set the bag of tools on the floor, he went and set her bag on the receptionist desk.

"I should go," she said.

"This is pressing," he countered.

Her small smile and breathy laugh let him see her amusement.

"No, its not," she told him.

"Donna," he said. "Please."

Her lips curled and she looked at him a brief moment before sighing.

"Why can't I ever say no to you?" she asked rhetorically.

Thankfully he knew it was rhetorical and didn't give her a smart ass answer.

They worked in silence for a while. Donna doing the manual labor, she actually knew how to use the tools, while he watched and occasionally made sure she didn't mark the wood.

"Why are you upset with me?" he asked.

"You think its wise broaching the topic when I have sharp objects in my hands?" she asked as she nodded to the instrument.

"I won't press charges," Harvey tried.

"I already told you," she began.

"You told me you didn't like this week. I told you its because Daniel's back," Harvey interrupted.

"You're not listening to me," she said as she turned to the M in Hardman's name.

"Then what the hell is wrong?" he asked.

"If you really wanted to know the answer you wouldn't have brought the subject up again," she said without looking back at him.

"I don't understand," he said.

"Scottie's coming, Harvey," Donna said. She stripped the M and it gave a satisfying screech with metal grinding against metal. She watched Harvey cringe out of the corner of her eye. She didn't know what did it: the sound or her words.

"You don't know that," he shook his head.

"I've checked flight manifests, her office, phone records and nothing. But my gut says she's coming and she's coming for us… you," she said as she quickly amended her statement.

"You said us," Harvey caught on.

"No, I meant you," Donna said as she hit the M and it knocked to the ground.

"You meant us," Harvey countered.

"God dammit, Harvey," Donna sighed.

"How do you know?" Harvey asked.

"I just… I just do," Donna shrugged.

"Okay," Harvey nodded.

"Okay? You pester me for hours about it and now its just okay?!" Donna asked.

"I see the problem now," Harvey said.

Donna laughed hollowly and placed the tools down.

"I can't do this anymore," Donna said.

"Where are you going now?" Harvey asked as he watched her go past the receptionist area.

"The bathroom to wash this off," she said as she lifted her fingers and hands to show him the coating of dust and slight tint of metal shavings.

Harvey let her be. Her bag was still sitting where he left it. She wouldn't try to escape down the stairs.

* * *

Donna stood with her hands resting on the ledge of the sink after washing them clean. She sighed deeply and wondered why she didn't think to grab her purse and walk down to the next floor and catch the elevator there.

"She changes him," a voice said from the corner.

"Jesus Christ, Louis. What the hell are you doing in the women's bathroom," Donna said as she turned to face him.

"I was on my way out and you guys were talking," he said.

"That doesn't explain why you're in here," Donna said as she gestured to the bathroom.

"You've been gone for seven minutes. He may be wrapped up in getting the sign down and not realise what time it is but I've been counting," Louis informed her.

She gave a defeated sigh and leaned against the counter.

"I can't do it," she confided. "I can't watch her break him. He's the one that always needs saving when she's through with him."

"So, tell him," Louis said. As if it was that simple.

"Hey, Harvey. Don't fuck Scottie because I'm still in love with you," Donna said. "Yeah, that will go over well with him."

"You're frustrated," Louis noticed.

"We were talking before I was leaving. And he was so excited I slapped Hardman and not just once but twice. And then he goes and says wow, you look beautiful," she paused as she heard Louis gasp. "He was talking to Jessica who was behind me."

"You slapped Hardman?" Louis asked.

Donna nodded.

"I threatened to kill him," Louis confided.

"No!" Donna said with a smirk.

"I told you, revenge is the best revenge," Louis nodded with a small smile.

"It really is," Donna had to concede the point. "Hardman suggested I protected Harvey because I was still in love with him or we're together."

"You do," Louis pointed out. "Hardman was an asshole, still is, but I think even someone as dumb as him would notice you two. Why do you think he used you instead of Jessica or me?"

"Why can't I stop, Louis?" she asked quietly.

"Because one day something switched in both of you," Louis shrugged.

Donna turned to look in the mirror, make herself look presentable again. She caught Louis's eye as he nodded once and exited the bathroom. She still had no idea what was going to happen next but she knew if she spent any more time in the bathroom Harvey would for sure come looking for her.

* * *

Somewhere between going and coming back she fell again. Not like the first time when she had declared her love for him which lead to a moment neither had ever gotten over. But more of the kind where it naturally falls into place because you know what each other is thinking and feeling with a quick glance. A switched had been flicked and one day she saw more, and she somehow wanted that feeling of more every day. Somehow, somewhere the lines blurred and one day he stopped being boss and became something she couldn't replace. Their line was never righted that next morning after she told him she loved him or any day after that. They fell back into the same patterns and didn't approach the subject again. It helped and it hurt their relationship. She didn't leave him and every once in a while he'd leave her a bread crumb trail to follow back to him. She didn't know why she always followed, she knew the path headed to danger, but couldn't stop herself. She had tried to stop and failed miserably. She really should have given him back the shirt but it had been the one thing he had left. It was still in her drawer, tucked underneath the pajamas bottoms he had once bought her because she had forgotten hers when they went to visit his dad. She couldn't leave or stop because she didn't want to start all over. She didn't want to go back to being Donna and Harvey fresh from the DA's office. That night, the one they never spoke of, had changed them. Whether or not they wanted the change it had forced its way in their lives and stayed in the back of their minds. And despite what she said in the past, she couldn't do a complete starting over and leave him. He was too fragile to ever leave. Despite his exterior, she held his heart in her hands. Whether or not she wanted the job, she had gotten it and never looked back.

It's a game of give and take. With her mostly giving and him mostly taking.

He had finished the sign by the time she came walking back from the bathroom. He was leaning against the wall to the bank of elevators.

"I was half wondering if you went down the 49 and escaped," he said simply. Her bag was near his feet.

"I thought about it," she said honestly.

He nodded and gave her a tight smile.

"I'm sorry," he said. "About before."

Her eyes widened in surprise but she nodded her thanks.

"We've been good, right?" Harvey asked. "We're doing whatever it is we do?"

"Yeah, we're good," Donna nodded tightly. She swallowed the lump forming. He realised it, too.

"Okay," he said quietly while nodding. He made to move away but she stopped him.

"Harvey," she whispered. Her hand grasped for his arm and he paused. Her fingers griped his suit jacket in a light hold on his forearms.

"Donna," he asked just asked as quiet.

"Never mind," she said. She released his arm, fingers trailing over the suit fabric, touching the barest hint of skin where suit jacket met his palm. Her fingers burned and she watched the distance between their touch grow.

"Wait," he said slowly, quietly. He willed her with his expression to tell him what was bothering her.

"What if there were signs along the way," Donna said. "What if we're always missing the signs because we're always running?"

"Like we have a choice?" Harvey asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged dejectedly. "I…"

She looked up at him, licked her lips and sighed.

"What if we missed our chance?" she asked. "What if that night was our chance and we took it but we messed it up?"

"Is this about your gut being off?" Harvey recalled. "About Scottie."

"I don't know, Harvey," she said with a raised voice.

"You shouldn't love me anymore," he said. "Not after what I've done to you."

"You think I haven't tried stopping myself?" Donna asked.

"I can't be me without you," he told her.

"You can't have both, Harvey," she said. "Its one or the other."

He made to open his mouth and she covered his lips with her hand.

"Don't," she shook her head. "You can't make decisions when reeling from a loss. You lose one of us, Harvey. Don't make your choice now. She's coming, whether you want her to or not."

She removed her hand and dropped down to get her bag. Without looking at him she pressed the call button for the elevator. She thanked all of those powers who were listening that a car was already there. She looked up and saw him staring at her, not saying a word.

Louis came out from the shadowed corner as the doors to the elevator closed on Donna's form.

He and Harvey stood beside each other, not speaking, and knew the taller man could feel his eyes on him.

"What do you want Louis?" Harvey sighed as he turned away from the elevator and looked to Daniel Hardman's name cast out of the floor at his feet.

"The same thing you both do," Louis said.

"And what's that?" Harvey asked. A hint of sarcasm slipped into his tone.

"I'm not blind or stupid, Harvey," Louis said. "I was watching and I listen to Donna."

"What's she saying now?" Harvey asked as he looked behind him to Louis before looking back to the bare wall.

"I don't betray her confidences," Louis told him certainly.

"Which is why you asked if she was in love with me at the mock trial," Harvey turned and frowned at the shorter man. He used his height to his advantage.

"I asked if she loved you. Not if she was in love with you," Louis said. "There's a technical difference."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"One implies there was love and its now gone. The other implies one still loves the other," Louis said.

"It's complicated," Harvey parroted Donna's words.

"Is it? Are you stupid? There is two answers: yes or no. Either you love her or you don't. Don't keep dragging her along if you're going to hurt her in the end. That beautiful, caring woman who just left loves you, you stupid idiot," Louis ranted. "Oh, god."

Harvey stared back at him and absorbed Louis's argument.

"I used to envy the two of you. You're the ideal professional relationship: she anticipates your every need and never expects anything in return. Now I know I don't want that because the sacrifice is too much," Louis said. "If you have to destroy a personal relationship with a beautiful, smart woman it's not worth it."

"She shouldn't have told me that night," he confided to Louis.

"All power comes with a price, Harvey. Is loosing her forever really worth it? Think about what your life was like without her when she was fired. Is all this worth an empty heart and fillable shoes? You can always get a new secretary but you can't find a new Donna Paulsen," Louis asked as he made a sweeping gesture around the office entrance.

Harvey opened his mouth to say something or protest but Louis shook his head.

"Don't tell me," Louis said. "Tell her. But if you make the wrong decision we will all know and you haven't experienced getting Litt up. But you will if she asks."

"You're a good friend, Louis," Harvey told him.

"Thank you," Louis nodded.

He smiled to himself as Harvey put his phone to his ear. He heard the words where are you, come out of the man before the elevators closed. Maybe he'd celebrate his victories today: scaring Hardman and getting the people who deserved a happy ending together. Or maybe he should celebrate when Donna called and thanked him. Either way, he was celebrating the former tonight.


End file.
